If you ever run into Brad Pitt, chances are he won't recognize (识别) you the second time around. That's because the famous actor has face blindness (脸盲症).
Face blindness, is the inability to recognize or remember faces, including one's own. It can cause problems in relationships and in the workplace. Some people with face blindness also have difficulty recognizing animals and telling the differences between objects, such as cars. Others have a much harder time and experience nervousness, depression and fear of social situations.
There are two main kinds of face blindness. Acquired face blindness is caused by brain damage (损伤). Harm to the right side of the brain is more likely to influence your ability to recognize faces you used to know. It is lesser-known and may take a turn for the better. The other main kind of face blindness is born with or developmental, which is much more common. Although it was considered hard-to-find before, scientists now estimate (估计) as much as 2.5 percent of Americans may be developing it. The cause of developmental face blindness is still unknown, but it does appear to run in families. A person with the second kind of face blindness never fully develops the ability to recognize faces.
Adults with face blindness may not realize that other people can recognize and remember faces. They may think they are the "normal" ones. However, a person who develops face blindness following a damage may notice the loss of the ability right away. Children with the illness may have trouble making friends, since they can't easily recognize others. They usually befriend people with easily recognizable features (特征). They may also find it difficult to tell family members apart according to sight or tell the differences between characters in movies.
At present, there is no treatment for face blindness. However, there are training programs to help these people, such as focusing on the voice, hairstyle and clothing. It may help to make a list of features in mind, such as tall, brown hair, blue eyes, and remember them rather than trying to recall the face. Sometimes it's the easiest to simply let people know that you have trouble with faces.
